Description

Gregers Reimann

Firmly believes in urgent sustainable transition of the World we live in. Tries to walk the talk by bicycling, recycling, carbon-off setting and advocating for sustainable development. Lives and works in Kuala Lumpur as a green building consultant.

MESYM Documentary Night #38: “Power to Change”

MESYM’s Documentary Night is held every 2nd Tuesday of each month. Everyone is invited to come hang out, watch a documentary, meet like-minded friends and take part in the discussion. Admission is free!

For our November event we will watch Power to Change, a film about a great vision—and the people turning it into reality: the rebels of our day. The future of world energy lies in decentralised, clean supplies stemming 100% from renewable sources. That is the message of the documentary Power to Change — The energy rebellion.

Skype Q&A with the film director, Carl A. Fechner

Carl-A. Fechner is a qualified educator, journalist, filmmaker and producer. A winner of the European Solarprize and the B.A.U.M.-Environmental prize, he has long been advocating the need for fundamental change. In 1989 he founded fechnerMEDIA GmbH, which since its inception has been promoting examples of sustainable living and has won numerous international awards for its documentary films, PR campaigns and crossmedia projects.

About “Power to Change”

Germany faces the biggest structural reform since the beginning of the industrial age. POWER TO CHANGE – The EnergyRebellion is the cinematic experience and exploration of this millennium challenge.

This is the story of a quest – a search in which questions are raised and answers found.

What does the energy turnaround mean for us?

What are the economic, ecological and social implications?

What are the challenges and risks?

What is at stake and what is the price?

The film shows the conflict over an energy revolution, which began as a grassroots movement and is being advanced through decentralized, regional players. It draws upon the personal stories of people who have taken the responsibility for their energy supply and the protection of their natural livelihood into their own hands. By weaving together people and places it creates an authentic record of our time. With a journalistic-analytical approach, supported by in-depth research, the film shows the daily struggle of activists, entrepreneurs, skeptics and critics in dealing with this energy revolution. It seeks to attract international media attention in order to project their struggle onto to the world stage.

It’s a film that aims to put an end to the doomsday scenarios and the cynical discussions over the feasibility of the energy revolution. It’s entertaining, exciting and fascinating, without succumbing to moralistic preaching. But it is irreconcilable where reconciliation is not possible.

Get Paid to Bicycle to Work

Stuck in traffic – is there anything worse? Yes, being stuck in traffic on the way to the gym to ride a stationary bicycle. Crazy – but sadly also true!

So, why not incentivise people to do their daily commute by bicycle – and hereby killing two birds with one stone: 1) Alleviating traffic congestion and 2) Giving people exercise without having to go to the gym.

Apart from improving bicycling infrastructure in our cities, I also propose a monetary incentive. Pay people to bicycle (or run) to/from work at a rate of US $0.35 per km. In other words, if you have a 10 km commute to work, you can earn US $3.50 by bicycling to work, or US $7.00 for your full daily commute. Not bad, right? And the “Moneci$e” app for your smart phone will make it easy and come true automatically; see video demonstration below. The rate of US $0.35 per km comes from a detailed economic study of cost impacts on society from commuting by bicycle compare to by car. This Danish study (2005) found the socio-economic benefits of bicycling over driving to be US $0.35 per km. The principal economic savings come from the improvement of peoples health caused by the exercise from bicycling. This makes people less sick and less of a strain on the hospitals. People who bicycle become more energetic and have higher productivity at work. Moreover, the negative health effects of air-pollution are avoided when people shift from cars to bicycling.

Traffic congestion has a huge cost to society. In the USA, traffic congestion cost 0.7% of the GDP. For a person living in a big city, this hidden cost corresponds to about US $1000 per year from wastage of time and petrol while stuck in traffic.

So, with the Monec$e app, let us channel some of the huge expenses stemming from traffic congestion to the people, who chose to commute by bicycling, running or walking and hence help to alleviate the traffic congestion. The 7-minute video below shows how the app, whose name is the combination of “money” and “exercise”, works. The video demonstrates the concept for the app, which was presented at the Clean & Green Hackathon in Singapore, 28 April 2013, organised by the National Environmental Agency (NEA).

If you are interested in commercializing the Monec$e app, please let me know?

Are you also living in a condominium or apartment? And does it frustrate you that there’s no recycling system in place? Well, that’s exactly how I used to feel – until I did something about it.

In only 2 weeks – and in collaboration with the Management Office and the Cleaners – we managed to install a recycling system on each of the 23 floors of the condo – and at a cost of less than RM8 (US$2.50) per apartment. Since 2009, the system has been operating successfully and has more than doubled the recycling rate.

The survey that I conducted after 1 year of operation, showed that more than 90% of the residents find the recycling system easy to use and think that the system enhances the attractiveness of the condo. This was true for both Malaysian and non-Malaysian residents.

As such, the recycling system has been a win-win-win-win solution, because:

The residents win, because they want to recycle and it has been made easy for them

The building management and owners win, because the recycling system enhances the attractiveness of the condominium at a cost of less than RM8 (US$2.50) per apartment

The cleaners win, because they earn extra pocket-money from selling the recyclables, which are now sorted at source. NB. Previously, they would sieve through the general trash and take out the recyclables, which is a common and unhygienic practice in Malaysia.

The environment wins, as the recycling rate has more than doubled

It has been as really positive experience to facilitate the implementation of this recycling system. I hope that you – the reader – will replicate the system where you live. In my experience, the key parameters for a successful implementation of a condo/apartment recycling system are:

Its driven by an enthusiastic resident, who facilitates the project in collaboration with the Building Management and the Cleaners

Design the system according to the wishes of the Cleaners and let them keep all the pocket money from selling the recyclables. The monetary incentive of the Cleaners is the key to a successful operation of the system.

Design the system, so it is easy for the residents to recycle

Avoid involving the Resident Committee, as this committee often has a few members that have too much time at their hand and who have nothing better to do than complain and make things complicated.

Please also refer to uploaded material below. When you approach the Management Office and the Cleaners, I would suggest that you bring along the presentation + the survey results (both inserted below), as this documentation will help to instill confidence that it is ‘mission possible’ and that the residents wants it.

Kind regards – and please keep us updated on your progress by posting on this page!

Gregers Reimann & Matthias Gelber

Installed in the existing trash room on each floor of the condo to make it easy for the users.

The Free Green Purchasing Guide for Malaysians

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The benefits of green buildings is not merely just about going green by saving the environment by ensuring a low carbon footprint development, but also the social and economical benefits of how such practice can provide. There are a lot of guidelines in ensuring a green building project would achieve it’s intended carbon footprint index, this is done by generating renewable energy on site, ensuring the usage of energy efficient product, conserving water and also capturing rainwater, reuse and recycle materials, and just to name a few. However, the determining factor would be the end users.

A successful green building is one where it is being understood and maintained well by the end users or occupants in the long run. We recognize that the end users is the main component to drive the performance of green building effectively. Without such exposure or education towards green building, one could not understand on the operations of the building and might deteriorate the performance of the green building should be delivering.

The good news is, If you are a greenie in your daily living, you don’t necessary need to have a green building to ensuring your low carbon footprint. There are dozens of methods to ensure your daily carbon footprint stays low, here we would like to share with you our environmental friendly appliances purchase guide. This includes a comprehensive list of aspects where you can start doing something today from your home! From the lighting fixture, to the electrical appliances, to the water fittings, to the interior fitting you use, and the way you commutes each day. So start doing something today for a greener living!

ST Diamond Building – A Green Building Landmark in South East Asia

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If anyone is to wander around Putrajaya and wondering what is the diamond like shaped building about, it is actually one of the lowest energy consumption building in South East Asia. The Headquarters of Energy Commission of Malaysia plays a vital role in the green building industry that reflects a highly sustainable scheme that makes use of passive design, energy efficiency and renewable energy. It is the first building to obtain the highest of both green building certifications, namely Malaysia’s very own GreenBuildingIndex and Singapore’s Green Mark, both Platinum rated. Also this building has won several awards such as Asean Energy Awards (AEA) 2012 and ASHRAE technology award 2013 (2nd place).

While the information of this green development is abundant on the internet, here we try to share some key facts of this green development. There are videos, power point slides, and articles below to guide you through as well. Among the key green features of ST Diamond Building are:

Passive Design: The facade is tilted 25 degrees is sculpted after the solar path in Malaysia for the building to be self-shading. The diamond shape helps to minimise air filtration by preventing breezes from passing through the building. The tilted facade also guides the breeze to flow below to help to ventilate the car park area at the basement.

Daylight Design: Natural Daylight is captured abundantly, both from facade and atrium. For the highest floor, a light trough (‘light well’) is used to bring in daylight into the deepest floor space area.

Lighting Design: Light sensors are incorporated, Occupants are encouraged to use LED task lights. Efficient lighting such as T5 is used.

Floor Slab Cooling: The second project in Malaysia to incorporate such technology. Water pipes embedded in concrete floor slabs cools the building at night and gives off radiant cooling passively in the daytime. This allows the maximum cooling demand for the building to be reduced by about 50%.

Renewable Energy: Thin Films Solar Panels are integrated in the roof with an installed capacity of 71.4 kWp and reduce the buildings energy consumption by 10%. The thin film solar technology is suitable for the tropical climate, as this type of solar cells is better at capturing diffuse light and conventional solar panels – and thin film solar cells also experience less of a drop in energy efficiency when baking under the hot sun. Their measured efficiency is 1400 kWh/kWp, which significantly higher than conventional solar PV (1150 kWh/kWp).

Water Reduction: 35% of potable water consumption is saved as rainwater is harvested for toilet and irrigation; grey water harvesting for irrigation, and using water efficient fixtures such as waterless urinals. Hence, reducing the overall water consumption by 65%.

Material Usage: The suspended ceilings are taken away, which also helps the natural daylight penetration deeper into the office space, recycled content and Low VOC materials are used for carpets and plasterboards.

This building has been operating for 3 years and we are still monitoring the energy performance and even fine tuning it. We acknowledge the maintenance team of this building has been maintaining it well and also educating the staffs more about the building they are working in. It is vital that the users could adapt to such green building environment and understand how it works in order for the building to achieve its purpose which is using lesser energy.

And here we hope that everyone will do their little part to save energy and water in their daily routine, regardless of which building they are in, because ultimately the factor that determines a green building is the users themselves! So do something today at your home or at your office 😉 Use that magic finger to switch off unnecessary lights and roll up the blinds, invite in natural daylight. And i am sure you know many other things you could do and all you need is that effort!

For further information on IEN’s input to ST Diamond Building, please do not hesitate to drop us a message Here!

Welcome to MESYM!Connecting the green dots

MESYM.com is a crowd-sourced platform and a living database for environmental movements in Malaysia. There are many good actions being done out there. Our goal is to bring them together. We connect the green dots.